LA Galaxy

By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 15, 2018) US Soccer Players - Leaving college early or bypassing it altogether to turn pro is today a commonplace decision for elite young soccer players in the United States. It was a bit more of a gamble when Kevin Hartman did it in early 1997, just a few months shy of completing his bachelor's degree.

Houston Dynamo’s 4-0 defeat of Atlanta United kicked off the 2018 Major League Soccer season on American television with 469,000 viewers tuning into Univision’s coverage of the match. Viewership saw an 8% decrease from 509,000 for Los Angeles Galaxy vs FC Dallas last year.

FOX Sports 1 saw an even bigger drop with their two matches averaging only 174,000 viewers, down over 40% from their first two broadcasts of 2017.

Houston Dynamo’s 4-0 defeat of Atlanta United kicked off the 2018 Major League Soccer season on American television with 469,000 viewers tuning into Univision’s coverage of the match. Viewership saw an 8% decrease from 509,000 for Los Angeles Galaxy vs FC Dallas last year.

FOX Sports 1 saw an even bigger drop with their two matches averaging only 174,000 viewers, down over 40% from their first two broadcasts of 2017.

By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Mar 7, 2018) US Soccer Players - Los Angeles is atop MLS once more. The city was a dominant force in MLS's opening weekend, and it's already clear that LA will remain there for all of 2018.

Well, maybe.

LAFC opened its existence with a thrilling 1-0 win at Seattle while the LA Galaxy took care of Portland by 2-1 at StubHub Center later in the day.

Let's get it out of the way early: it's only Week 1. There are so many ways to react and overreact to the first game of an MLS season but, at the end of the day, the "overreact" part is usually the most prevalent.

You can certainly learn some things, though, from a season debut, even if those things many not necessarily be true for the long haul.

By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON DC (Mar 2, 2018) US Soccer Players - Maybe it's a function of league growth, or simply a matter of chance. Either way, the new MLS season that kicks off on Saturday is rife with interesting stories both on and off the field. Here are a few worth your attention.

Also: how to watch out of market matches for free, Alonso nearing return for Seattle, OCSC looking in the short term, former USMNT player Charlie Davies retires and more!

Portland

Quick Strikes | Timbers kick off 2018 campaign against Galaxy | Portland Timbers With new head coach Giovanni Savarese at the helm, the Portland Timbers will kick off the 2018 MLS season facing the LA Galaxy at the Stubhub Center (7pm PT, FS1).

It was another busy weekend of preseason action for MLS teams as the countdown to the regular season continues.

Saturday's action was highlighted by a high-scoring California Clasico between the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes as well as a rematch of one of the more exciting games from last year's knockout round of the MLS Playoffs.

By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Feb 14, 2018) US Soccer Players - The LA Galaxy's long road to redemption has not yet commenced, but the team revealed some of what it has planned for the 2018 season. When the Galaxy played NYCFC at StubHub Center over the weekend, the team had its new captain on display.

By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Jan 31, 2018) US Soccer Players - The LA Galaxy has never been shy about moving the needle. From bringing in Mexican players like Luis Hernandez and Carlos Hermosillo in the league's early days to landing the biggest splash ever in David Beckham a decade-plus ago, the Galaxy has constantly blazed new trails.

Early chemistry issues were always going to be an issue for the 2018 LA Galaxy and, by and large, the club felt prepared to overcome them. What they weren't prepared to for, though, were several early absences and a slow start that doomed the team to a frustrating road defeat on Sunday at Yankee Stadium.

It's hard to believe Perry Kitchen wasn't even in Europe for two whole years. The American midfielder's time abroad had enough ups and downs to pack a career squeezed into a period comprised of just about 21 months.

Those 21 months saw Kitchen break through in Scotland before being named captain just months after joining Hearts.

The LA Galaxy never had a year like 2017, and that's a fact that rings true for all the wrong reasons. For a franchise defined by historical success, the 2017 season was a catastrophe. It was a season headlined by failure and, ultimately, by change.

That change began midway through the 2017 campaign, one which saw the Galaxy miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008 while finishing dead last in the Western Conference.

For years, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been linked with a move to MLS and, while it appears that move is coming close to fruition, it isn't done yet.

According to Goal USA, the LA Galaxy remain in ongoing negotiations with the Manchester United striker. The report says that, as of Monday, the two parties remain in talks, but no deal is close to being finalized.

After conquering Spain, Italy, and France and taking on England, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is reportedly close to making the long-awaited and much-discussed jump across the Atlantic Ocean to take on the United States.

According to ESPNFC, the Sweden international is reportedly in discussions with the LA Galaxy.

The Portland Timbers continue their season-opening road trip with a stop in New Jersey to face the New York Red Bulls. The Timbers lost 2-1 to the LA Galaxy last Saturday, while the Red Bulls are coming off a 2-0 Champions League win over Club Tijuana on Tuesday.

Will PTFC be able to take advantage of a likely heavily rotated Red Bulls squad?

Jamie and Chris return to the microphones to recap the Portland Timbers' season-opening 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy, to look at what the future holds for Marco Farfan and Alvas Powell, and to get ready for the Portland Thorns' preseason tournament.

The Portland Timbers dropped their first result of the season today, losing 2-1 to the LA Galaxy. Despite a late resurgence, the Timbers were unable to overcome a lackluster first 60 minutes that saw them fall behind by two goals before Sebastian Blanco pulled one back.

The match opened with a flurry of chances from the Galaxy, giving the Timbers no time to get set as they poured on the pressure from the opening whistle.

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Jose Mourinho says Zlatan Ibrahimovic has “won the right to choose his future” after acknowledging that the striker is likely to leave Manchester United at the end of the season.

Ibrahimovic, 36, is out of contract at Old Trafford at the end of this season and has been heavily linked with a move to MLS club Los Angeles Galaxy.

Zlatan again: LA Galaxy close to signing Ibrahimovic, reports ESPN | MLSsoccer.com The on-again, off-again courtship between the LA Galaxy and Zlatan Ibrahimovic has flared hot once more, with ESPNFC reporting on Sunday night that the Swedish superstar striker is close to signing with the founding MLS club.

By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Jan 24, 2018) US Soccer Players - Before the start of training camp, LAFC announced its first-ever coaching staff. Bob Bradley took the head coaching job last year, but the rest of the staff waited for January. Among his hires were Ante Razov and Zak Abdel, both formerly of Chivas USA.

The Rest

Week two of MLS is in the books, which means Joe Hojnacki, Ryan Tolmich, and Joe Tansey are back to discuss a chaotic week of domestic soccer action.

The trio discuss the expansion side Los Angeles FC and their strong start led by Uruguayan Diego Rossi, the issues that could plague the LA Galaxy, the state of Minnesota United without Kevin Molino, and more.

NEW YORK —The dash to the finish line could have been much easier, but New York City FC made things more difficult than they needed to be.

NYCFC won for the second straight week, defeating the LA Galaxy, 2-1, at Yankee Stadium on Sunday evening. While collecting three more points in the home opener was the biggest takeaway, NYCFC stressed after the match the need to close out games better.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Another 9-month roller coaster of supporting the Timbers and reading these Six Degrees. Be assured, dear reader, both activities will be up-and-down affairs, and sadly, we're not starting the year on a high note. Let's break down Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Galaxy.